This vintage Citroën 2CV embodies cheerful simplicity

If you can forgive the low-tech features and lack of horsepower, this car is the definition of driving in style

The Citroën 2CV is minimalism run wild. It’s possibly the most austere vehicle built since the end of WWII. The side windows simply flip up or down, the wipers have no motor and are driven by a small cable from the spinning transmission. The doors and hood don’t have hinges in the typical sense of the word but employ cleverly pressed steel to facilitate opening and closing. The fabric top rolls away easily to allow a breeze to flow through the airy cockpit and to fit 6′ long baguettes oversized items with ease. The 2CV is one of the most simple cars in the world. But it’s also one of the most ingenious.

The 2CV was developed in secret between Citroën and Michelin in the late 1930s. The design mandate was to create the most durable, economical, practical car possible. Early prototypes were radical – they had one headlight, and the seats were hammocks suspended by wires to the ceiling. The car was ready to be revealed at the 1939 Paris Motor Show when the declaration of France’s involvement in WWII halted all plans for the motor show and the release of a new car. The prototypes were safely hidden from the Germans during the war and largely forgotten about.

This 2CV has a top speed of about 120 kmh.

Clayton Seams, Driving

The fabric roof rolls back to accommodate large objects.

Clayton Seams, Driving

Simon Walker's 2CV is a car he drives regularly.

Clayton Seams, Driving

The 602cc air-cooled flat-twin produces a heady 29-horsepower.

Clayton Seams, Driving

When the war ended, the car was unearthed and brought into a much changed Europe. Gasoline filling stations were sparsely located and rudimentary, most roads had been reduced to muddy paths full of ruts and France’s economy was looking grim. In other words, it was the perfect time to launch such a rudimentary car. Despite its gastropod-like profile, it had a cheery face, sipped gas and seated four with comfort. Demand soon outstripped production capability and the 2CV became a hit. As the decades wore on, the steadfast little 2CV soldiered on, selling well in a crowded arena full of more modern cars like the Mini and the Beetle. As the ’70s approached, the 2CV became something of an anti-fashion icon, a rolling affront to planned obsolescence. It appealed to those who wanted to drive something different from everyone else.

Simon Walker was eight years old and living in North Yorkshire, England when he first saw a 2CV. “One of my school teachers had one,” he says, “and it was always abandoned in the car park, generally at a strange angle. When it was time for him to leave he would get in the car, start it up, rev the engine loudly and leave in a great cloud of smoke,” he remembers. When Walker became of driving age, he knew that he just had to buy one.

Walker’s 1982 model is one of 3.8 million 2CVs made between 1948 and 1990. The appeal of the car certainly doesn’t lie in horsepower or speed. Under the hood resides just two air-cooled horizontally opposed cylinders. Early models had 375cc engines with nine horsepower, but later ones like Walker’s have enlarged 602cc engines with a thundering 29 horsepower. It’s good for a top speed of about 120 km/h and 0-60 mph in 31.7 seconds (likely measured with a sun dial). Despite what the horsepower figure might imply, the later 2CVs are perfectly at home on highways and Walker frequently drives his on long freeway jaunts around Oakville, Ontario.

The 2CV is a happy thing. It has a cheery face, the engine makes a friendly warble and it seems to love being flung around turns as it leans wildly. The 2CV is a car completely without malice for those with no ego and a good sense of humour. You can’t be angry and grumpy in a 2CV – you’d look ridiculous.

Walker can’t help but smile while driving his little Citroën, and other motorists smile, too. He has plans to continually improve the condition of his car and can’t see himself ever being without a 2CV in the garage.

If you’re interested in Citroëns, the Citroën Autoclub of Canada is a wonderful resource full of people dedicated to keeping these old French cars on the road.